Just to put minds at rest, the epicentre of the earthquake in Chile on Monday 14th was 70 miles from us, and there was no tsunami.
Updates are usually done every couple of days, unless events conspire to prhibit. On 21st February we leave at 7am lovcal for Macchu Picchu, and will not get back until late on 23rd, so the update for that event will most likely be on 24th.
After the drearyness of Castro, what a change.
Puerto Montt dawned bright and clear, at around 15C. Both Sue and Ian were doing things, but they were very different.
Sue's trip was by coach into the hinterland, to do some exploring. Thyus were out for the whole day, leaving at 8am and getting back around 4.45pm. It would seem that a great time was had by all. After a coach trip of about one and a half hours, they joined a lake cruise and had a great time admiring the spectacular scenery and the local fauna. Next came lunch with time to walk and explore where they were, before moving by coach to another location and the llamas. Finally, back on the coach for the return journey.
At this juncture, one should comment on the Chilean way of doing road repairs, as these affected both Sue and Ian's trips. Not being content to dig up and resurface, they dig up kilometres at a time, and make it one way traffic over what is left. This does lead to seriously long delays!!
Ian managed to do one of the things that he has always wanted to try, namely white water rafting.
Twelve intrepid souls decided to have ago at this, nine passengers(five men and four ladies) two members of the show dance troupe, and a crew member.
Following a drive of just over an hour in a minibus(would have been shorter but for the aforementioned roadworks), the destination was reached. Having disentangled ourselves from each other, we dismounted to be met by our guides and given wetsuits(yes, there was one big enough for me!!), jackets and boots. We changed and then were driven down to the rafts. Following an extensive safety briefing, lifejackets and helmets were fitted, photographs taken and it was down to the water.
Six to a boat, plus a guide, and we were off. One does not sit in the boat, but on the sides, with ones feet wedged under the cross piece in front. Steering is done pricipally by the guide, assisted by the passengers paddling hard in the rquired direction when told to do so.
Now to the rapids, and this is where it becomes exhilarating, and impossible to describe. It is an enormous adrenalin rush, and terrific fun, if a little scary at times. We were on the water for virtually one and half hours, most of negotiating rapids or the slacker water inbetween. Only the last ten minutes or so was in calmer water. About 15 minutes from the ned, with one slight waterfall ahead, the guide invited us to go into the water and sail down the last bit in the recovery position we had been shown. This is lying back in the water, with ones feet ahead of one, knees slightly bent. Exhilarating!!! To get back into the boat was a bit undignifying though. Hang on the side with ones feet trailing in the water. Be grasped by the life jacket by the guide. A big heave by him, and one is lying face down in the bottom of the boat.
At the end of the journey, dry clothes were waiting, as was a snack lunch. All too soon, it was back into the bus for the run back to the port and the waiting Black Watch.
Valentines Day is glorious, though the sea is a bit bumpy. We are on our way to Valpairiso. No cards to open, by agreement, though a bottle of pink champagne is in the fridge for this evening (remembered and brought specially from home for the purpose!!!)

The last two days have been magical. The ship has been running up through the fjords in glorious sunshine, so shorts and short sleeves have been the order of the day. This is not withstanding the glaciers that have been seen, running down to the shoreline. Yesterday, we passed a stranded ship!
Apparently, it was a Greek cargo-liner. About 40 years ago, she was transitting the fjords, and on this particular day, the captain left the bridge with the pilot, to have lunch. The officer of the watch did not know that in this particular fjord there was a bank to one side of the centreline, about one hundred metres wide and a kilometre long. The ship ran aground!!. Everyone got off safely, but it was not possible(probablynot worth!!) salvaging her, and so she has been there ever since. A few holes are noticeable on her hull and superstructure. It seems that the Chilean navy use her for target practice, if they are passing by.
At one point, it was necessary to leave the fjords for a while. Whilst outside, on the Pacific ocean, a small pod of whales went by, about six of them. All in all, a magical day
Today is no different. We are at anchor outside a place called Puerto Chacabuco. It is a nowhere place, consisiting of jetties and wharves. The jetties are used by container ships, outloading the principal output of the area, fruit and vegetables. The main town is about 15kms, called Puerto Aysen. It was a port, on the river, until the river silted up.
We took the local public service bus, which was a bit of an experience in itself. The town is mostly single story buildings, and has that 'frontier town' look. Built on the grid system, the main street is one way, and everything goes down it. Every where we went, we felt alittle like being in Gullivers travels, as the locals are not the tallest people in the world.
There is not a lot in the town, except a most unususal church. It is very modern and angular, and finished in 1990, if we read the sign correctly. Up to the first story is concrete. Everything there after is a latticework of timber, covered in what appears to be plywood. The roof is tiled. It is very difficult to describe, though fascinating to visit. Hopefully, after our return, and we can post photographs, it will appear.
It did seem strange to be walking around in shorts and short sleeeves, when all the hills around were covered in snow. Apparently, we have a hit a temperature bounce, and tomorrow is forecast as 12C, and rain, as against todays 24C!!
Black Watch is at anchor in a corner of the fjord, and we have been using the tenders to get to and fro. From the shore, there is a super picture of her against the backdrop of snow capped hills. We are due to sail at 5pm our time(8pm UK time), so will get more splendid vistas for some hours yet.

After all the excitement of Cape Horn, the last few days have, in a way, been quite humdrum.
The journey to Punta Arenas has been up through the fjords of Chilean Tierra del Fuego, with glaciers and waterfalls all over the place. Spectacular scenery. At one point the ship entered a side fjord, to take us up close to a very large glacier. Its runabout was launched, to collect some ice for whisky on the rocks. The ice is thought to be thousands of years old, possibly up to a million. No-one was absolutely sure, as different ages were bandied about. Nevertheless, it went very well with the lowland single malt whisky it was served with!
Nearing Punta Arenas, great excitement was to be had as we stopped by an island with penguins. It was a small island, and they were small penguins. Though they could be seen clearly through binoculars, the distance made photographing them(even on maximum zoom) difficult. Close examination of those shots that were taken and then blown up, do show that we captured them for posterity!
Punta Arenas is a bit of a ghost town. Originally a coaling and resupply point, the opening of the Panama Canal in 1914 rather killed that trade and it has not really recovered. There is a free port area, to try to boast matters, and it is the 'capital' of Chilean Patagonia. Because Ian was not one hundred percent, we did not do much, apart from a general stroll into the city, admire the principal buildings, take photo of Christ surrounded by icebergs, which can be found in the cathedral, and change some money. It was not very pleasant weather, very windy, cold and with occasional rain showers. The best trip seems to have been to a penguin colony, but even then most of the comments were half hearted. The most excited person was our cabin stewardess. Two of her passengers, discovering that she had never seen a penguin in its real habitat, got permission for her to go with them on this excursion. When she came back, to say she was ecstatic was to say the least. She is tiny, and everyone, including crewmates, helped to kit her out with cold wet weather clthing and a suitable camera. We could not help with the clothing, as we are bit! larger than her. It was so nice to see her positive happy reaction.
Having left Punta Arenas, we are now working our way north. We started in the Magellan straits, ansd should have gone out into the Pacific early this morning, around 5 o'clock. However, the wind has picked up again, to about 60 knots, so we are now cruising the fjords, where it is only about 30 knots!. Still outstanding screnery, with more glaciers and waterfalls all around.
Next stop is Puerto Chacabuca, weather permitting. It is a tender port, and if the swell is too much, we cannpot land. We have three of these tender port5s coming up so it will be interesting to see what happens.
Watch this space.

After a good run down from the Falklands, we arrived in Shuaia, the most southerly city in the world.
It statrted life as a prison colony, so basice that the first convicts, back in the 1800s, had to build their own jail, and the accomodation for the warders. The prison finally closed in 1947, and is now a museum. The city has a frontier town feel to it, though it does have full employment thanks to some industry, the docks and tourism. It is the jumping off place for those going to Antartica.
We saw something of the countryside, as we tookan all day trip. It started with a cruise down the Beagle Cahnnel, to look at the wildlife. Bit of a quiet day as it was mostly bird colonies, with a group of sea lions, It was cold when we started, at 5C, and stayed that way whilst we were on the boat(about 3 hours). Diembarcation was in the Tierra del Fuego National Park, some 30kms north of Ushaia. After a short drive we stopped at a lake which is part in Argentina, and part in Chile. The surroundings are magnificent, as this is the end of the Andes chain, and the tops are snow capped. The wind meant it was still a bit chilly. The road is part of the Pan Americas highway, which starts in Alaska, and ends just south of Ushaia.
The final part of our day out was by train. To build the goal, and then to provide lumber to build other properties, a lot of trees neede to be cut down. Once the supplies near the city had been exhausted, the wood had to come from furthjer afield. The only way to move it was by rail, so the prisoners had to build one. Initially with wooden rails and hauled by mules, it got converted to metal rails and then to steam power. To extend it one gang built forward,as they cut down the available trees beside the tracks. Working on the railway, and the logging, was keenly saught after by the inmates, as it meant getting outside for the day, even though conditions were very arduous. Noone realy escaped, though one or two tried. There was nowhere to escape to, and the terrain was hostile.
The journey lasted an hour, including a rest stop, and we returned to Ushaia. We stayed in town for a stroll round, but there really was nothing to see.
Today is Sunday, and we have been to Cape Horn. The weather was wild, with winds touching 70 knots(about 85 mph). Fortunately the wind was from the north, with the land providing some protection. This means that the seas could not build quite as much as they might have, but the ship still had a serious lean to one side. Had it been from the south, from the Antartic one thousand kilometres away, the sea state would have been a different question!! Passengers who have done this trip before say they have always had good weather, with calm seas!! Standing up to take photos became a bit of an issue, as did catching ones breath if one inadvertently stuck ones head outside the screens at the wrong moment. Still, we did it, have seen it, photographed it to prove it and survived. Going round today would not have been possible in safety, because of the wind direction. We could see the seas round the other side, and discretion was certainly better than valour.
Now we are retracing our route back into the Beagle Channel. It is still wild, with a severe lean to starboard caused by the wind. The plan is to sail up the channel, pass Ushaia, and continue through the fjords until we get into the Magellan Straits. Once there we turn right, to get to our next port of Punta Arenas in Chile. We are due there on Tuesday morning.

A wonderful day was had by all in the Falklands
The weather stayed kind until the end, when it started raining hard. Unfortubnately, the forecast for Friday was not good, and we would have been in an exposed anchorage, so the captain decided to make an amendment, and the ship is on the way to Ushaia, at the bottom end of Argentina. If all goes to plan, we will do on Saturday what we should be doing on Sunday. On Sunady, the plan is to leave port, go round Cape Horn, and return to Ushaia. This is because the forecast is for severe gales. All being well, we are due to move via the inside waterways to Punta Arenas overnight on Sunday.
But, back to the Falklands.
The capital is Stanley, not the largest place, but it dooes have a cathedral, so it must be classified as a city! About 3,000 people live on the fifteen islands which are inhabited. Except in Stanley, the roads! are basically 'all weather roads' i.e. graded and passable by wheeled vehicles. Most of the residents drive Landrovers.
Outside Stanley, there are virtually no trees, the land being rough, rocky and with tufty grass. One of the big difficulties, are the number of uncleared minefields left by the Argentinians after 1982. They are being cleared slowly (they managed four in 2010), but it will be many years before they will all be gone. The problem is the cost, as they cannot be cleared mechanically, it has to be done by hand. Virtually all the mines are plastic, so it means hands and knees, with prodders.
After the EU insisted that the Falklands hed an up to date abbatoir, the dependence on sheep farming has reduced. Ten years ago, there were about one million sheep. Now it is reckoned that there about six hundred thousand. There place has been taken by cattle, as the meat can be properly certified to EU rules and be exported.
Everything has to be imported, except main crop fresh vegetables. The supermarket in Stanley is just like a smaller one in England. The difference is the labels. Most of the stock on the shelves is either from Waitrose! or NISA.
Ian did a trip about the 1982 Falkands war. The guide was excellent, and he thoroughly enjoyed it.
Sue stayed in Stanley and explored it. We met up at lunchtime and went into the pub for fish and chips! No draught beer, though, only cans and a good selection. After lunch it was walked off by Ian being accompanied by Sue for a tour of the city.
We got back on board around 4pm, just in time to avoid the rain.
To day is cold but bright outside, about 9C, with a southerly wind from the Antartic. Dancing this pm, followed by a wine tasting for one of us. Life is hectic!

Just after the last entry closed, things changed dramatically.
No-one was allowed to leave the ship, all excursions that had not started were cancelled, and the gangway was taken away, marooning those ashore on the quayside. The cause was increased wind speed. So much so, to allow the gangway to be reconnected, a tug and the pilot boat had to join the ship's bowthruster in holding the ship by the pier.
All the mooring ropes were stretched taught, and the wind kept on increasing. It steadied at 55mph, with occasional gusts of over 60mph. Because of the direction, it was fully onto the side of the ship, and it was this windage that was causing the difficulties.
We had a grandstand view of that was happening (or not for some time), as the quayside was directly below us. It steadily filled up with rather bemused people, as the tours returned, who had to stand and wait in the sun, with this wind blasting them.
Eventually, after about an hour, around 1.30pm, the gangway was re-rigged and people were slowly allowed aboard (two at a time).
When it came time to sail i.e once everyone was back on board, there was a further difficulty. The quay at Puerto Madryn is not that long. To moor ships, there is an artificial island off the end of the jetty, to take the stern ropes. Because of the waves, it proved not possible to land a man there to cast the hawsers off. The captain had the three of them cut, thus freeing the ship, and allowing us to sail.
Puerto Madryn is at the inside end of a very large bay, and it took some hours for us to get out into the Atlantic. Once we reached open water, we knew all about it. It was certainly lumpy!!
Things moved around during the night, though we were not affected, as we had taken some precautions, and made sure anything movable was secured. By this morning, the weather had calmed down, and it has been quite a pleasant day
The weather is still affecting us, as there has been a change of itinerary, and we are going into Port Stanley tomorrow, Thursday, rather than Friday. This is because the forecast is for westerlies on Thursday, and northerlies on Friday. Port Stanley is a sheltered achorage if the wind is from the west or south.

Though the River Plate is 200km wide at its mouth, and 300km long, it has avery narrow channel for shipping on its way to Buenos Aires. Actually, the trip from Montevideo to BA took 6 hours to cover 130km.
When we arrived, we were not alone. there were four other, much larger cruise liners already moored up. No smart cruise terminal, just a quay in the port, surrounded by containers.
Black Watch always moors starboard side to, as that is where the security equipment is mounted. This has meant that we often get a lousy view, as that is oiur side of the ship. This time, it was not so bad, as we are high up ,and were able to see over the top of the containers, and had quite a nice view. All the other side had was containers and more containers. It also meant we had a grandstand view of all the goings on. At the end of our stay we were entertained by the port staff, as they tried to sort out a little accident caused by one of the container handling trucks pulling down part of a building and damaging itself in the process. Nothing much in one way, but unfortunately it was right were our gangway was, and sorting it out did cause a few difficulties!
So, Buenos Aires. It was hot, at 35C, though not quite so humid as Rio. On our first day we did the ships organised city tour, which took in the cathedral and the grave of Eva Peron. We have found in the past that this is a good way to learn somethimng about a city. Our guide was excellent, and it was a good trip. In the afternoon, or what was left of it, we took it easy. We did a trip into the main port terminal, to change currency. A very simple thing to do, one might think. It took us an hour!! First was the queue for the exchange itself. then the actual transaction. According to the miles of paper we were given, Ian was a US citizen, and Sue, though from the UK, was from Manchester. Neither of us could work out how the clerk managed that, but we got our currency. The came the return trip.
By now, the queue to leave the terminal, which had to be done on shuttle buses (definitely no walking!) was out the otherside of the building. As we had no hand bags for screening, we joined about halfway down. One of the ships was readying to sail, and a few passengers were getting a bit panicky, because of the queueing. We then had 'terminal rage' as those trying to jump ahead were blocked by those already in the queue. Fists were raised. (Yes, dear readers, these were british passengers off P&Os Aurora!! Must be a low caste ship!). Eventually, we boarded our shuttle a got safely back to the ship.
The next day dawned hot and sunny, and we left early for the city. Shuttle bus to the terminal, and then following a tip, a free shuttle bus provided by a firm of jewellers to the edge of the shopping area, Florida street. A slow stroll for a kilometre, with a few diversions found us in the principal sqaure, and we headed for a famous place, Cafe Tortoni,. A beer and a coffee later, plus a few photos, and we walked back to where we could catch an open topped bus for a tour giving us a different view of BA. This included La Boca, and the revitalised old port area, a bit like Docklands n London. But was it hot!! YES. We threw the towel in about two thirds of the way round, it was a bit too much, even for Sue. Back to the jewellers via a small supermarket, and our trip back to the terminal and the port shuttle bus.
After a slow start on our last day, we joined a ship excursion to Tigre , for a cruise in the river delta. This was most enjoyable, as, instead of hurtling down some motorway, the guide took us the slow way, through various towns and villages. Our destination was some 40km from Buenos Aires. At tigre, we borded a boat, mercifully with a roof, for our trip through the waterways that make uo one third of the delta.
Very definitely, this is a holiday/loacl tourist area. P{eople live and stay in houses on the various islands. Some have electricity, but drinking water, gas for cooking and all foodstuffs have to be brought in. There are floating supermarkets which go round the islands, as do the water buses. When these go past, on the roofs are all sorts of things, from prams to gas bottles, to water bottles, to items of furniture. All in all, a most pleasant afternoon, which was only spoilt by the need for us to return to the ship which was sailing at 6pm.
Two day at sea, which was bit bumpy at times, have brought us to Puerto Madryn. A pleasant, small seaside town, with a nice beach. We strolled the prom this morning, and did a little supporting of the local economy. This area was settled by many who left Wales 150 years ago. They did not fight, or drive out, the then local inhabitants, but got on peacably with them. This means that many are of the origional stock, as well as those from european type stock. Quite a contrast.
This afternoon, we are going out into the countryside, to a village that is supposed to be very welsh. That is if the winds allow us. It is very windy here, and the ship is have some difficulty, despite its mooring ropes, holding its position on the quay.